EP0065815B1 - Recovering zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material - Google Patents
Recovering zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0065815B1 EP0065815B1 EP19820301969 EP82301969A EP0065815B1 EP 0065815 B1 EP0065815 B1 EP 0065815B1 EP 19820301969 EP19820301969 EP 19820301969 EP 82301969 A EP82301969 A EP 82301969A EP 0065815 B1 EP0065815 B1 EP 0065815B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- zinc
- leach
- solution
- iron
- residue
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims description 166
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 title claims description 166
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 title claims description 166
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 title claims description 60
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N Iron Chemical compound [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 148
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 74
- QAOWNCQODCNURD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulfuric acid Chemical compound OS(O)(=O)=O QAOWNCQODCNURD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 46
- 235000011149 sulphuric acid Nutrition 0.000 claims description 46
- 239000001117 sulphuric acid Substances 0.000 claims description 46
- XLOMVQKBTHCTTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc monoxide Chemical compound [Zn]=O XLOMVQKBTHCTTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 44
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 39
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 39
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 claims description 39
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 claims description 36
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 35
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 claims description 28
- 239000011787 zinc oxide Substances 0.000 claims description 22
- 238000005868 electrolysis reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 20
- NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulfur Chemical compound [S] NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000005864 Sulphur Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 238000001556 precipitation Methods 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 238000002386 leaching Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 229910052935 jarosite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 10
- 229910052598 goethite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- AEIXRCIKZIZYPM-UHFFFAOYSA-M hydroxy(oxo)iron Chemical compound [O][Fe]O AEIXRCIKZIZYPM-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- VTLYFUHAOXGGBS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Fe3+ Chemical compound [Fe+3] VTLYFUHAOXGGBS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron(III) oxide Inorganic materials O=[Fe]O[Fe]=O JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- CWYNVVGOOAEACU-UHFFFAOYSA-N Fe2+ Chemical compound [Fe+2] CWYNVVGOOAEACU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052976 metal sulfide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000006386 neutralization reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000008188 pellet Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000012216 screening Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910001308 Zinc ferrite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 14
- WGEATSXPYVGFCC-UHFFFAOYSA-N zinc ferrite Chemical compound O=[Zn].O=[Fe]O[Fe]=O WGEATSXPYVGFCC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 14
- KFZAUHNPPZCSCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron zinc Chemical compound [Fe].[Zn] KFZAUHNPPZCSCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 3
- 150000003568 thioethers Chemical class 0.000 claims 3
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 239000011260 aqueous acid Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 230000003301 hydrolyzing effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 230000003472 neutralizing effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000007858 starting material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 76
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 33
- 239000003517 fume Substances 0.000 description 10
- 238000000746 purification Methods 0.000 description 8
- 238000000227 grinding Methods 0.000 description 6
- 150000004763 sulfides Chemical class 0.000 description 6
- 229910052787 antimony Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- WATWJIUSRGPENY-UHFFFAOYSA-N antimony atom Chemical compound [Sb] WATWJIUSRGPENY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 229910052785 arsenic Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N arsenic atom Chemical compound [As] RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- LWUVWAREOOAHDW-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead silver Chemical compound [Ag].[Pb] LWUVWAREOOAHDW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 229910000859 α-Fe Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 4
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000002378 acidificating effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000004090 dissolution Methods 0.000 description 3
- JQJCSZOEVBFDKO-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead zinc Chemical compound [Zn].[Pb] JQJCSZOEVBFDKO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- BSWGGJHLVUUXTL-UHFFFAOYSA-N silver zinc Chemical compound [Zn].[Ag] BSWGGJHLVUUXTL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- UQSXHKLRYXJYBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Iron oxide Chemical compound [Fe]=O UQSXHKLRYXJYBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000005083 Zinc sulfide Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003929 acidic solution Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000011133 lead Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002893 slag Substances 0.000 description 2
- DRDVZXDWVBGGMH-UHFFFAOYSA-N zinc;sulfide Chemical compound [S-2].[Zn+2] DRDVZXDWVBGGMH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M Ilexoside XXIX Chemical compound C[C@@H]1CC[C@@]2(CC[C@@]3(C(=CC[C@H]4[C@]3(CC[C@@H]5[C@@]4(CC[C@@H](C5(C)C)OS(=O)(=O)[O-])C)C)[C@@H]2[C@]1(C)O)C)C(=O)O[C@H]6[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](O6)CO)O)O)O.[Na+] DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M 0.000 description 1
- QAOWNCQODCNURD-UHFFFAOYSA-L Sulfate Chemical compound [O-]S([O-])(=O)=O QAOWNCQODCNURD-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulphide Chemical compound [S-2] UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000013019 agitation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007795 chemical reaction product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010908 decantation Methods 0.000 description 1
- MAHNFPMIPQKPPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N disulfur Chemical compound S=S MAHNFPMIPQKPPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000003792 electrolyte Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005363 electrowinning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005188 flotation Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 from 50 to 100% Chemical compound 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002244 precipitate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052708 sodium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011734 sodium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001415 sodium ion Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910021653 sulphate ion Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000004094 surface-active agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- NWONKYPBYAMBJT-UHFFFAOYSA-L zinc sulfate Chemical compound [Zn+2].[O-]S([O-])(=O)=O NWONKYPBYAMBJT-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- 239000011686 zinc sulphate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000009529 zinc sulphate Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C22B19/00—Obtaining zinc or zinc oxide
- C22B19/34—Obtaining zinc oxide
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25C—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25C1/00—Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions
- C25C1/16—Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions of zinc, cadmium or mercury
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C22B19/00—Obtaining zinc or zinc oxide
- C22B19/20—Obtaining zinc otherwise than by distilling
- C22B19/22—Obtaining zinc otherwise than by distilling with leaching with acids
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C22B19/00—Obtaining zinc or zinc oxide
- C22B19/20—Obtaining zinc otherwise than by distilling
- C22B19/26—Refining solutions containing zinc values, e.g. obtained by leaching zinc ores
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
- Y02P10/20—Recycling
Definitions
- This invention relates to the recovery of zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material which also contains iron together with lead and possibly silver.
- zinc-containing sulphidic material refers specifically to sulphidic material in which the metals, i.e. zinc, iron and lead and/or silver are essentially present in the form of their metal sulphides, and does not cover sulphidic materials in which the zinc and iron components appear as zinc ferrites.
- the leach it is usual for the leach to be commenced with a slight stoichiometric excess of sulphuric acid relative to the amount of zinc in the zinc-containing material, for example with the molar ratio of sulphuric acid to zinc being about 1.1:1, that is to say with about 10% excess sulphuric acid.
- Zinc-containing sulphidic material may, in addition to iron, also contain lead and/or silver, and in some cases the lead and/or silver content may be sufficiently high to render recovery of one or both of these . metals economically desirable.
- zinc recovery processes such as described above, substantially all of the lead and/or silver remains in the leach residue together with most of the iron. The presence of iron in the residue complicates the subsequent recovery of lead and/or silver therefrom.
- a method for the improved recovery of lead and possibly silver in zinc recovery processes which involve leaching a zinc-containing sulphidic material containing, on a weight basis, 50-55% zinc, 30-35% sulphur, 5-10% iron, 0.5-5% lead and possibly lesser amounts of silver, under oxidizing conditions at a temperature in the range of from 130°C to 170°C in aqueous sulphuric acid solution with an initial stoichiometric excess of sulphuric acid relative t d the zinc content of the material, followed by electrolytic recovery of the zinc from the leach solution.
- this is achieved by the steps of:
- the present invention utilizes a substantial excess of sulphuric acid, i.e. from 50 to 100%, in the initial leach. It has been found that such a substantial excess results in the dissolution of a substantial amount of iron as well as zinc but without any significant dissolution of lead and/or silver.
- the leach residue produced in accordance with the invention is relatively iron-free, so that the lead content and the possible silver content are much higher than before and the recovery of lead and possibly silver from the leach residue is facilitated.
- the leach solution containing dissolved zinc also contains substantial amounts of dissolved iron and free sulphuric acid. As indicated, this is then treated to recover zinc by feeding the solution to another process in which a second zinc-containing material is treated to recover zinc and which includes an iron-precipitation step.
- the iron precipitation step may be a leach step of another zinc recovery process in which zinc oxide containing material is leached in aqueous sulphuric acid solution under conditions such that iron is precipitated and reports in the leach residue.
- the zinc oxide containing material may for example be fume or calcine, fume being obtained from lead blast furnace slag and calcine being obtained by roasting a zinc-containing sulphidic material.
- Such material often contains arsenic and/or antimony, which tends to dissolve in the leach, and the dissolved iron besides being precipitated also causes precipitation of dissolved arsenic and/or antimony.
- a further advantage is that excess acid in the leach solution is neutralized by the zinc oxide containing material. i
- the iron-precipitation step may be a leach step in another zinc recovery process in which zinc is recovered from a zinc-containing sulphidic material which also contains iron by leaching in an aqueous sulphuric acid solution with a stoichiometric excess of sulphuric acid relative to the zinc content of the material of up to about 20%. The majority of the dissolved iron is precipitated and reports with the leach residue.
- This alternative is useful for example if the further zinc-containing sulphidic material contains minor amounts of lead and/or silver whose recovery is not economically desirable.
- the iron-precipitation step may be a purification step in a zinc recovery process in which further zinc-containing sulphidic material which also contains iron is first roasted to produce zinc oxide containing material, which is then leached in aqueous sulphuric acid solution.
- the leach solution with dissolved iron in accordance with the invention is then utilized in a jarosite or goethite precipitation step in which a major portion of the iron dissolved in both processes is precipitated.
- a process in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is used for recovering zinc, lead and silver from a zinc-containing sulphidic concentrate containing from about 50 to about 55% zinc, from about 5 to about 10% iron, from about 30 to about 35% sulphur, from about 0.5 to about 5% lead, and from about 0.001 to about 0.1% silver.
- the zinc concentrate is mixed with water from a subsequent separation step, as will be described shortly, and subjected to a grinding step 12 in which the material is ground to a small size, for example over 90% less than 325 mesh (US Sieve Series: 0.044 mm).
- the resultant slurry is then passed to a settling tank 14 from which the overflow is recycled to the zinc concentrate being fed to the grinding step 12, and the thickened slurry underflow is fed to a high acid pressure leach step 16, the thickened slurry having a pulp density of from about 50 to about 70% solids.
- the slurry is mixed with aqueous sulphuric acid solution from a zinc electrolysis step, which will be referred to later, such that there is a stoichiometric excess of sulphuric acid relative to the zinc content of the zinc concentrate in the range of from about 40 to about 100%, preferably in the range of from about 50 to about 60%.
- the leach step 16 is conducted under a partial oxygen pressure in the range of from about 400 to about 1000 kPa and at a temperature in the range of from about 140 to about 155°C.
- the leach step 16 is continued for a period of time until over 97% of the zinc and over 95% of the iron have dissolved.
- the undissolved residue then contains little iron and contains substantially all the lead and silver in the original zinc concentrate.
- the leach slurry is passed to a settling tank 18, from which the overflow leach solution proceeds to another zinc recovery process as will be described shortly.
- the leach residue underflow slurry contains elemental sulphur, unreacted sulphides and lead-silver containing residue.
- the elemental sulphur and unreacted sulphides are separated from the lead-silver containing residue in a separation step 20 which may, for example, comprise flotation, screening or decantation.
- the cake can be recycled to the leach step 16.
- the lead and silver containing residue containing over 25% lead, 0.01 to 1.0% silver and less than 4% iron, is amenable to treatment in a lead smelter in known manner to recover lead and silver values.
- the overflow solution from the settling tank 18 is an acidic sulphate leach solution containing from about 100 to about 130 g/L zinc, from about 10 to about 15 g/L iron (of which about 5 to 10% is in the ferrous form, the remainder being in the ferric form) and about 30 to about 70 g/L H 2 S0 4 . Substantially no lead or silver is dissolved in the leach step 16.
- zinc oxide containing material obtained as fume from lead blast furnace slag and containing arsenic and antimony is treated to recover zinc.
- the fume may contain from about 60 to about 70% zinc, from about 5 to about 15% lead, from about 0.1 to about 0.3% arsenic and from about 0.1 to about 0.3% antimony.
- the fume is subjected to a grinding step 22 in which the material is ground to a small size, for example at least 40% less than 325 mesh (0.044 mm).
- the ground fume is leached in aqueous sulphuric acid solution in a leach step 24, the aqueous sulphuric acid solution being a mixture of acid solution containing from about 150 to about 180 g/L H 2 S0 4 from a zinc electrolysis step which will be described later.
- the leach step 24 is carried out at a temperature of about 90°C until the pH rises to about 1, that is to say until the sulphuric acid concentration is reduced to about 20 g/L.
- Acidic solution from the settling tank 18 in the previously described process is then added, together with more fume, and the leach step 24 is continued until the pH has risen to about 4. In this way a substantial amount of zinc is dissolved, and the iron in the acidic solution from the previously described process precipitates substantially all the arsenic and antimony which initially dissolves in the leach solution, with substantially all the iron being precipitated as an oxide.
- the leach slurry is passed to a settling tank 26 from which the underflow is a lead and iron containing residue suitable for treatment in a lead smelter.
- the overflow solution is a substantially iron-free acidic zinc sulphate solution which is purified in a purification step 28 and passed to electrolysis step 30, the solution passed to electrolysis step 30 containing from about ' 140 to about 160 g/L zinc.
- the spent solution contains from about 40 to about 60 g/L zinc and from about 150 to about 180 g/L H 2 S0 4 , and is recycled partly to the high acid pressure leach step 16 and partly to the fume leach step 24 in a ratio depending upon the relative amounts of concentrate and fume to be leached to the respective leach steps 16, 24.
- lead and silver can be more easily recovered from the zinc concentrate, with high zinc recovery still being attained, and by utilizing the leach solution from the high acid leach, zinc can be recovered from the zinc concentrate and from the fume in the same electrolysis step.
- zinc concentrate of the same kind as in the previous embodiment that is to say with a lead and silver content sufficiently high to render the recovery of these metals economically desirable, is treated in a high acid leach process in the same manner as in Figure 1.
- the iron-containing acidic leach solution from the settling tank 18 is utilized in a leach step in a zinc recovery process for the recovery of zinc from zinc concentrate containing insignificant amounts of lead and silver.
- such a zinc concentrate may contain from about 50 to about 55% zinc, from about 5 to about 10% iron, from zero to about 0.5% lead and from zero to about 0.001% silver.
- the low lead/silver zinc concentrate is mixed with water from a subsequent settling step and ground to a small size in a grinding step 32 similar to the grinding step 12.
- the resultant slurry is then passed to a settling tank 34, with the overflow solution being recycled to the grinding step 32.
- the underflow slurry with a pulp density of from about 50 to about 70% solids is passed to a leach step 36 in which an aqueous sulpuric acid solution is supplied such that a conventional stoichiometric sulphuric acid excess of up to about 20% and preferably about 10% relative to the zinc content is obtained.
- the acid solution is the iron-containing solution from the settling tank 18 together with part of the acid solution from a subsequent zinc electrolysis step.
- the leach is carried out under an oxygen partial pressure of from about 400 to about 1000 kPa at a temperature of from about 140 to about 155°C to obtain extraction of most of the zinc in the low lead/silver zinc concentrate.
- the leach slurry is then passed to a settling tank 38, from which the iron containing residue is dealt with as desired.
- the overflow solution containing from about 140 to about 160 g/L zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 g/L iron, and about 1 to about 20 g/L sulphuric acid is subjected to an iron removal purification step 40, and to any other necessary purification step, and then to a zinc electrolysis step 42.
- the spent solution from the zinc electrolysis step 42 contains from about 40 to about 60 g/L zinc and about 150 to about 180 g/L H 2 S0 4 and is recycled partly'to the high acid leach step 16 and partly to the normal acid leach step 36.
- the iron-containing leach solution from the settling tank 18 is utilized in a jarosite precipitation step in a roast-leach process for treating zinc concentrate with low lead-silver content.
- the low lead-silver concentrate is first roasted in a roasting step 44 at a temperature of from about 900 to about 950°C to convert the zinc sulphide content to oxide form, with some zinc ferrites thus being produced.
- the resultant calcine is then subjected to a first stage leach step 46 in which the calcine is leached in aqueous sulphuric acid solution at a temperature of from about 80°C to about 95°C to dissolve substantially all the zinc oxide.
- the aqueous sulphuric acid solution is obtained partly from a subsequent electrolysis step and partly from a jarosite precipitation step as will be described in more detail later, and the first stage leach step 46 is continued to produce a leach solution with a pH of from about 4.5 to about 5.5 and containing from about 140 to about 180 g/L zinc, and less than about 0.01 g/L iron.
- the leach solution is separated from undissolved residue in a settling tank 48, and is subjected to a purification step 50 before being passed to an electrolysis step 52 where zinc is recovered.
- the spent solution from the electrolysis step 52 is recycled partly to the high acid leach 16, partly to the first leach step 46 and partly to a second stage leach step 54, such spent solution containing from about 40 to about 60 g/L zinc, and from about 150 to about 180 g/L sulphuric acid.
- the residue from the settling tank 48 is subjected to the second stage leach step 54 in which the residue is leached in strong sulphuric acid solution, containing from about 150 to about 180 g/L sulphuric acid, at a temperature of about 95°C to dissolve zinc and iron in the zinc ferrites.
- the second stage leach step 54 received acid from the electrolysis step 52 and also receives fresh acid.
- the second stage leach step 54 is continued to produce a leach slurry containing in solution from about 90 to about 110 g/L zinc, and from about 10 to about 20 g/L ferric iron, with a sulphuric acid concentration of from about 20 to about 40 g/L.
- the leach slurry then passes to a jarosite precipitation step 56 where calcine and the high iron solution from the settling tank 18 are added together with sodium ions, this step being carried out at a temperature of from about 80 to about 90°C at a pH of about 1.5. Most of the iron in solution is precipitated as sodium jarosite, and the slurry passes to a settling tank 58 where the jarosite and other residue are separated from the remaining solution. The jarosite and other residue are dealt with as desired, and the remaining solution is recycled to the leach 46.
- the remaining solution contains from about 150 to about 170 g/L zinc, from about 0.5 to about 1 g/L iron, and from about 3 to about 5 g/L sulphuric acid.
- FIG 4 shows another embodiment in which zinc concentrate of the same kind as treated in the embodiment of Figure 1, that is to say with high lead/silver content, is treated in a high acid leach process in the same manner as in Figure 1.
- the iron-containing leach solution from the settling tank 18 is utilized in a goethite precipitation step in a roast-leach process for treating zinc concentrate with low lead/silver content.
- the low lead/silver concentrate is first roasted in a roasting step 60 at a temperature of from about 900 to about 950°C to convert the zinc sulphide content to oxide form, with some zinc ferrites also being produced.
- the resultant calcine is then subjected to first stage leach step 62 in which the calcine is leached in an aqueous sulphuric acid solution at a temperature of from about 80 to about 95°C to dissolve substantially all the zinc oxide.
- the aqueous sulphuric acid solution is obtained partly from a subsequent electrolysis step and partly from a goethite precipitation step as will be described in more detail later, and the first stage leach step 62 is continued to produce a leach solution with a pH of from about 4.5 to about 5.5 and containing from about 140 to about 180 g/L zinc, and less than about 0.01 g/L iron.
- the leach solution is separated from undissolved residue in a settling tank 64, and is subjected to a purification step 66 before being passed to an electrolysis step 68 where zinc is recovered.
- the spent solution from the electrolysis step 68 is recycled partly to the high acid leach 16, partly to the first stage leach step 62, and partly to a second stage leach step 70, such spent solution containing from about 40 to about 60 g/L zinc and from about 150 to about 180 g/L sulphuric acid.
- the residue from the settling tank 64 is subjected to a second stage leach step 70 in which the residue is leached in strong sulphuric acid solution, containing from about 150 to about 180 g/L sulphuric acid, at a temperature of about 95°C to dissolve zinc and iron in the zinc ferrites.
- the second stage leach step 70 received acid from the electrolysis step 68 and also receives fresh acid.
- the second stage leach step 70 is continued to produce a leach solution containing from about 90 to about 110 g/L iron and from about 10 to about 20 g/L ferric iron, with a sulphuric acid concentration of from about 20 to about 40 g/L.
- the leach solution is separated from the undissolved residue in a settling tank 72, the residue being dealt with as desired.
- the leach solution is then passed to a reduction step 74 where zinc concentrate and the high iron solution from the settling tank 18 are added, this step being carried out at a temperature of from about 80 to about 100°C at a pH of from about 0.5 to about 1 to reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron. Unreacted zinc concentrate is separated from the resultant solution in a settling tank 76, and the separated zinc concentrate is recycled to the roasting step 60.
- the reduced solution then passed to a neutralization step 78 where calcine is added to raise the pH to about 1.5. Unreacted calcine is separated from the neutralized solution in a settling tank 80 and recycled to the second stage leach step 70.
- the neutralized solution passes to an oxidation step 82 where air and further calcine are added to cause the precipitation of goethite, this step being carried out at a temperature of from about 50 to about 100°C and at a pH of from about 1.7 to about 3.
- the precipitated goethite is separated from the solution in a settling tank 84, and the remaining solution is recycled to the first stage leach step 62.
- the remaining solution contains from about 130 to about 150 g/L zinc, from about 1 to about 3 g/L iron and from about 1 to about 5 g/L sulphuric acid.
- the zinc concentrate used in the tests analyzed Zn-55.2%, Fe-9.44%, S T -31.8%, Pb-1.23% and Ag-0.90 oz/ton (0.003%).
- the concentrate was ground to 94% minus 325 mesh (0.044 mm) and was introduced into a 3.8 L titanium lined autoclave together with 2.5 L of synthetic return electrolyte analyzing Zn-50 g/L, H 2 S0 4 -150 to 180 g/L.
- a surface active agent (lignosol BD) and 3 g/L ferric iron was added to ensure rapid initial oxidation rates.
- the charge was heated with agitation under a slight oxygen partial pressure to 150°C.
- the oxygen partial pressure was adjusted to 700 kPa and the conditions were monitored for 60 minutes. At the end of this time, the autoclave was cooled rapidly to ambient temperature, and the reaction products were discharged. The products were washed through a 100 mesh screen (0.149 mm) to separate any sulphur-sulphide pellets.
- the undersize slurry as filtered and the undersize solids (residue) were washed by repulping with water and refiltering.
- the oversize solids (sulphur/sulphide pellets) and undersize solids were separately dried, weighed and sampled for analysis.
- the filtered solution, including all the water, were combined, the combined volume was measured, and sampled for analysis.
- the excess acid leach in accordance with the invention not only enables lead and silver to be more readily recovered from zinc concentrate, while still enabling zinc to be efficiently recovered, but also provides a high iron solution which can readily be utilized in other processes, for example other zinc recovery processes.
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- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
- Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
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Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA000378074A CA1166022A (en) | 1981-05-22 | 1981-05-22 | Recovery of zinc from zinc containing sulphidic material |
CA378074 | 1981-05-22 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0065815A1 EP0065815A1 (en) | 1982-12-01 |
EP0065815B1 true EP0065815B1 (en) | 1988-10-26 |
Family
ID=4120015
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19820301969 Expired EP0065815B1 (en) | 1981-05-22 | 1982-04-16 | Recovering zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material |
Country Status (12)
Families Citing this family (18)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA1212242A (en) * | 1982-07-27 | 1986-10-07 | Donald R. Weir | Recovery of zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material |
LU85385A1 (fr) * | 1984-05-28 | 1986-01-29 | Mines Fond Zinc Vieille | Procede de lixiviation de sulfures contenant du zinc et du fer |
CA1229487A (en) * | 1984-09-27 | 1987-11-24 | Roman M. Genik-Sas-Berezowsky | Process for the recovery of silver from a residue essentially free of elemental sulphur |
DE3634359A1 (de) * | 1986-10-09 | 1988-04-21 | Ruhr Zink Gmbh | Verfahren zur aufarbeitung von rueckstaenden aus der hydrometallurgischen zink-gewinnung |
WO1988003911A1 (en) * | 1986-11-26 | 1988-06-02 | Resource Technology Associates | Process for recovering metal values from jarosite solids |
DE3935362A1 (de) * | 1989-10-24 | 1991-04-25 | Ruhr Zink Gmbh | Verfahren zur aufarbeitung von jarosit-haltigen rueckstaenden |
GB9306201D0 (en) * | 1993-03-25 | 1993-05-19 | Sherritt Gordon Ltd | Recovery of zinc,iron,lead and silver values from sinc sulphide concentrate by a multi-stage pressure oxidation process |
GB9309144D0 (en) * | 1993-05-04 | 1993-06-16 | Sherritt Gordon Ltd | Recovery of metals from sulphidic material |
US5458866A (en) * | 1994-02-14 | 1995-10-17 | Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation | Process for preferentially oxidizing sulfides in gold-bearing refractory ores |
GB9422476D0 (en) * | 1994-11-08 | 1995-01-04 | Sherritt Inc | Recovery of zinc from sulphidic concentrates |
US6395242B1 (en) | 1999-10-01 | 2002-05-28 | Noranda Inc. | Production of zinc oxide from complex sulfide concentrates using chloride processing |
US6843976B2 (en) | 2001-02-27 | 2005-01-18 | Noranda Inc. | Reduction of zinc oxide from complex sulfide concentrates using chloride processing |
KR100542609B1 (ko) * | 2002-12-11 | 2006-01-11 | 조성용 | 폐 바리스터 칩으로부터 유가 금속을 회수하는 방법 |
RU2365641C2 (ru) * | 2007-06-28 | 2009-08-27 | ООО "Институт Гипроникель" | Способ очистки cульфатных растворов цветных металлов от железа |
CN103866120B (zh) * | 2014-03-25 | 2016-03-16 | 长沙有色冶金设计研究院有限公司 | 硫化锌精矿加压氧浸出锌同时回收有价金属的方法 |
CN104498728A (zh) * | 2014-12-13 | 2015-04-08 | 株洲冶炼集团股份有限公司 | 一种提高含银锌精矿中银回收率的工艺 |
CN108823429B (zh) * | 2018-07-06 | 2020-09-11 | 六盘水中联工贸实业有限公司 | 一种低品位含硫氧化锌矿的冶炼方法 |
ES2794298B2 (es) | 2019-05-17 | 2021-05-31 | Cobre Las Cruces S A U | Procedimiento de extracción de metales a partir de minerales o concentrados de sulfuros polimetálicos |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3493365A (en) * | 1965-03-31 | 1970-02-03 | Electrolyt Zinc Australasia | Treatment of zinc plant residue |
CA971368A (en) * | 1972-11-20 | 1975-07-22 | Paul Kawulka | Recovery of zinc from zinc sulphides by direct pressure leaching |
FI50097C (fi) * | 1973-02-12 | 1980-10-24 | Outokumpu Oy | Hydrometallurgiskt foerfarande foer aotervinning av zink koppar och kadmium fraon deras ferriter |
CA1049953A (en) * | 1975-10-22 | 1979-03-06 | Herbert Veltman | Two-stage pressure leaching process for zinc and iron bearing mineral sulphides |
DE2624658C3 (de) * | 1976-06-02 | 1980-04-17 | Ruhr - Zink Gmbh, 4354 Datteln | Verfahren zur Aufarbeitung von bei der Laugung gerösteter Zinkblende verbleibender Rückstände |
US4063933A (en) * | 1976-07-02 | 1977-12-20 | Texasgulf Canada Ltd. | Process for the treatment of complex lead-zinc concentrates |
US4128617A (en) * | 1977-07-11 | 1978-12-05 | Newmont Exploration Limited | Treatment of zinc calcines for zinc recovery |
US4274931A (en) * | 1979-01-24 | 1981-06-23 | National Institute For Metallurgy | Leaching process for zinc sulphide containing materials |
CA1206008A (en) * | 1982-02-24 | 1986-06-17 | Donald R. Weir | Recovery of zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material |
CA1195846A (en) * | 1982-06-03 | 1985-10-29 | Donald R. Weir | Recovery of zinc from zinc-containing sulphidic material |
-
1981
- 1981-05-22 CA CA000378074A patent/CA1166022A/en not_active Expired
-
1982
- 1982-04-07 NO NO821178A patent/NO160528C/no not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-04-14 FI FI821301A patent/FI74046C/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-04-14 AU AU82579/82A patent/AU543614B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1982-04-16 EP EP19820301969 patent/EP0065815B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-04-16 DE DE8282301969T patent/DE3279155D1/de not_active Expired
- 1982-04-20 ES ES511531A patent/ES8303538A1/es not_active Expired
- 1982-04-28 ZA ZA822888A patent/ZA822888B/xx unknown
- 1982-05-10 JP JP7675782A patent/JPS57194223A/ja active Granted
- 1982-05-10 KR KR1019820002037A patent/KR830010208A/ko not_active Withdrawn
- 1982-05-17 IN IN367/DEL/82A patent/IN163273B/en unknown
-
1983
- 1983-06-28 US US06/508,699 patent/US4505744A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
J.E.Dutrizac," The physical chemistry of iron precipitation in the zinc industry",Proceedings of AIME Symposium 1980 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES511531A0 (es) | 1983-02-01 |
IN163273B (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html) | 1988-09-03 |
FI821301A0 (fi) | 1982-04-14 |
KR830010208A (ko) | 1983-12-26 |
FI74046C (fi) | 1987-12-10 |
CA1166022A (en) | 1984-04-24 |
JPS57194223A (en) | 1982-11-29 |
ES8303538A1 (es) | 1983-02-01 |
NO821178L (no) | 1982-11-23 |
ZA822888B (en) | 1983-03-30 |
NO160528B (no) | 1989-01-16 |
AU8257982A (en) | 1982-11-25 |
DE3279155D1 (en) | 1988-12-01 |
JPH0242886B2 (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html) | 1990-09-26 |
EP0065815A1 (en) | 1982-12-01 |
AU543614B2 (en) | 1985-04-26 |
NO160528C (no) | 1989-04-26 |
FI74046B (fi) | 1987-08-31 |
US4505744A (en) | 1985-03-19 |
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